Automobile-gear.



H. P. DODGE & G. M. FOSTER. AUTOMOBILE GEAR. APPLIOATION FILED MAR.29,1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 WITNESSES.- gen/m1 H. P. DODGE & O. M. FOSTER.

AUTOMOBILE GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.29, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES.- 9. c. mfbflzzz z m i I it appertains to make HENRY P. DODGE AND CASSIUS M. FOSTER, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE-GEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY P. DODGE and CASSIUS M. FosTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of ()hio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Gear; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact-description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which i and use the same, ref.- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I

Our invention relates to improvements in automobile-gear, and, more particularly, to the gear of electrically propelled vehicles. Its objects are to furnish a support for the motor and driving mechanism in which their weight shall fall upon the vehiclesprings independently of the rear axle and which shall preserve the alinement of these parts with the rear axle and the driven mechanism; to largely relieve the motor and gears from undue shocks, strains and jars, and to provide 'a construction by which the driving and driven mechanisms preserve their proper operative relation, regardless of the ine-- qualities or roughness of the road and the swaying of the vehicle.

The object of our device, is to suspend the driving mechanism from the body of the vehicle by means of a drop cross-beam beneath the bottom of, the carriage, the motor and the driving mechanism being connected with and supported by said cross-beam by means of an universal joint; also to connect the driving mechanism with the driven rear axle of the vehicle in such fashion that the driving connections are not disturbed by the vertical or lateral movements of either or any or all of the four supporting wheels of the vehicle. \Ve attain these objects by neanS of the devices and ar-' r'angement of arts hereinafter described, and shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawiiigs, in which more specifically,

Figure 1 1s aside-elevation of an electric carriage provided With our device, the supporting Wheels next moved, and portions of the structure being shown in section; Fig. 2 a top-plan view of the chassis of an electric carriage prov ded with our device; Fig. 3 a central,

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 29, 1909.

to the observer being re- Serial Nd. 486,356.

longitudinaL-vertical, sectional elevation of our driving mechanism and its supports, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 a sectional elevation of the same taken on line XX Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a rear view of the same.

Corresponding numerals indicate parts throughout the drawings.

Inthe drawings, 11 are the side-bars upon which the body of the vehicle rests and is secured, these bars being depressed or dropped intermediate their ends, as shown. The side-bars are suitably connected at their front and rear ends by cross-braces or by the bottom of the body itself. The side members 1-1'are supported at their front and rear ends upon the vehicle-springs in the usual or any preferred manner, which springs are, in turn, supported uponthe front and rear axles of the vehicle in the usual or any preferred manner.

2 is a stout bar downwardly curved at its middle, the flanged extremities, -3, of the bar being secured, as at 4;, to the inner sides of the forward elevated portions of the side-bars 1.

Midway of its length the cross-bar 2 like enlarged transversely-as at 5, and throughthis enlarged portion is a vertical bore or socket 6 in which is swiveled a short vertical shaftT, having at its top oppositely spread transverse arms 8. In or on the upper ends of the arms 8 are journaled, as at 9, trunnions 10 formed upon and projecting horizontally from opposite sides of sleeve or journal-box 11. In this sleeveor journalbox is journaled, as at 12, a tube or sleeve 13. This sleeve 13. .tl1e, motor-case 14, and the gear-case 15 are all rigidly connected together and are supported upon the crossbar 2- through the pivotal joints 6-7, S9 10. and '1l-1213.

Operatively mounted in the m0t0r-case,

in the usual or any preferred manner,is an electric motor, indicated at 16, the shaft of which carries a pinion 17 engaged with gear 18 on countershaft 19. This shaft is, at its forward end, journaled in the gearing-case, as at 20, and is supported within and concentrically with the sleeve 13. Shaft 19 drives the diiferential' gear.

The sleeve 1-3 extends rearwardly horizontally to and is rigidly connected with the casing 21 for-the differential goarwhich drives the rear axle 22. This axle is incased with tubes 23-23 rigidly connected at.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909. I

'ported therein.

upon this cross-bar the casing is, by means their inner ends with the differential gear casing and at their outer ends with the bear-' in 's 24 for the rear axle.

a Will now be seen that the motor-casing, the transmission-gear casing, the countershaft casing, the difierential gear, casing, and the rear driving-shaft: casing are all rigidly connected together. 2 a single member, and that the motor, tii transmissiongear, the counter-shaft, the differential gear, and the rear driving-shaft'are, respectively, housed and oper atively mounted and sup- It will also be seen that the forward part of the assembled casing is supported solely by the cross-bar 2, and that of the universal joints 67, 8 9-10, and 1l1213, above described, held in operla tive alinement with the differential gear and the rear driving shaft, regardless offthe longitudinal, transverse or diagonaltilting or swaying of the carriage-body or the'carriage-truck.

Having described our invention, what e claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, I

1. An automobile gear comprising 211 motor, a rear axle, driving connections intermediate said motor and axle, casings for said motor, axle and connections, said several casings being rigidly connected as a unitary structure, side-bars, adownwardly bent cross-bar bridged between-the side-bars, and an universal joint whichgsupports the forward end of said connected :casings upon the cross-bar.

2. In an automobile-gear, 'a transverse bar, a vertical shaft journaled; on said bar and having at its top oppositely transversely spread arms, a sleeve having trunnions journaled upon said arms, another sleeve journaled in the sleeve first mentioned, a driving mechanism, a casing therefor, said casing being rigidly connected with, said other sleeve, a driven mechanism, and operative connections intermediate said two mechanisms.

In testimony whereof We vaiiix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

'M. M. HAYES, F. A. CLARK. 

